Waste left on verge "temporarily" - Amesbury resident fined £1,000 for fly-tipping

An Amesbury resident has been issued with a £1,000 fixed penalty notice (FPN) after leaving waste on a grass verge, claiming they intended to return for it later.

The incident was reported on 29 April, when a quantity of controlled waste was discovered on a grass verge adjacent to Boscombe Road. An investigation by Wiltshire Council's Environmental Enforcement Team found the waste included materials such as wood, cardboard and metal.

Enquiries by officers led to the person being identified. It was established that they had initially attempted to dispose of the waste at a household recycling centre, but the site was unable to accept the materials at the time as the appropriate containers were unavailable. The person admitted leaving the waste at the roadside, intending to return it to the recycling centre at a later date. Despite this, the waste remained in place for approximately eight days.

Further investigation found that the person had sufficient space at their home to store the materials safely at their property until they were able to dispose of them properly.

A £1,000 FPN was issued and has since been paid in full.  As fixed penalty notices are not court convictions, the person cannot be named.

Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways, said: Decisions like leaving waste by the roadside, even with the intention of coming back for it, still amount to fly-tipping - there is no grey area. Once waste is left in a public place, the impact is immediate.

Recycling centres can occasionally be busy, but that does not justify abandoning waste in public spaces. There are always lawful alternatives, including storing items securely until they can be properly disposed of.

Our message is simple: if you leave waste where it doesn't belong, you risk facing a significant financial penalty.

For more information on how Wiltshire Council tackles fly-tipping, or to report an incident, visit: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/fly-tipping.